JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – New lawyers for a Jacksonville man convicted and sentenced to death in two 1999 ax murders is making a case that the son of one of the victim's is the real culprit.
An evidentiary hearing will resume Monday in Duval County Court for Jason Simpson, 44, who was found guilty of the murders of Archie Crook Sr. and Kimberly Kimbler on the Westside.
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The Florida Supreme Court upheld the conviction and death sentence.
Clothes found discarded at the murder scene had the blood of both victims on it, and Simpson’s DNA.
Simpson’s new lawyers now suggest Crook’s son might have been the guilty party, because Simpson let Archie Crooks Jr. use those clothes to commit burglaries.
The defense lawyers also contend that evidence was withheld from the trial lawyer.
They are hoping to convince the court to grant Simpson a new trial.
Current State Attorney Melissa Nelson was one of the original prosecutors in the case.